|
|
|
|
|
|
Resources |
|
|
|
Breaking the Poinsettia Habit
| Article
# : |
13859 |
|
|
Section : |
LIFE
|
| Issue
Date : |
12 / 1988 |
1,649 Words |
| Author
: |
Virginia Greiner
Virginia Greiner writes a weekly gardening column for the
Washington Times. |
Your Christmas bills and your Christmas poinsettia are two reminders of the holidays that will be around your house New Year's Day. Everybody seems to start out January with both.
Poinsettias are easy to grow and beautiful, but boring. They're everywhere: splashed over Christmas cards and arranged in churches, stacked in storefront displays, and stashed in every living room in America. Who doesn't have a friend or business associate who is locked in an unending fugue of sending the same old foil-wrapped gift year after year?
But there are many other flowering plants to consider for holiday gifts or for decorating your home if you'd like to break the poinsettia habit. Here are a few choices, and ways to keep them blooming long after Christmas.
AMARYLLIS—Buy this plant when it's not yet in full bloom so you won't miss half the show as these spectacular and enormous flowers open on their tall, fat stems. One plant, with its brilliant, sometimes striped blooms, will dominate the room, so give it a place of honor.
Rotate the pot a quarter-turn regularly to keep the plant from leaning toward the light. To prolong the blossoms, keep it out of direct sunlight and in a cool room. Remove flowers after they've faded, but don't cut off the flower stalk or any foliage.
Once all blooming is over, you may want to make the effort to produce a repeat bloom. To do this, put the plant in a sunny spot. Water to keep the foliage growing to provide food for next year's flowers.
... (2000 of 9351 Characters)
Read Full Article
|
|
